Dennie D. Carter Sr.

Dennie Day Carter Sr., 62, died peacefully at his home on Dec. 10, 2004. A memorial service was held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the Valley Funeral Home Chapel in Wasilla, with burial at Wasilla Aurora Cemetery.

Pastor Steve Taylor officiated. Pallbearers were Michael Dipola, Larry Whitehouse, Bradley McPherson, Christopher Felthauser, Donald Brandon II and Russell Lanahan Sr.

Mr. Carter was born, as a first-born twin, on Aug. 2, 1942, to Monroe and Meda Carter in Gilbert, W.V., and raised in a log cabin with three sisters and four brothers. He held jobs from an oil field roustabout in Texas to a top chef in San Francisco in the late 1950s and in Alaska off and on in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

He moved to Alaska three days after the earthquake of 1964, left and returned in 1967 to Fairbanks. After the flood, he went to Kodiak and worked as a cab driver.

He then left the state again and came back to Tok to work as a cook. Mr. Carter left the state in 1972 and married his second wife, Melody, in Carson City, Nev.

On June 3, 1975, he moved back to Alaska, where he has lived since.

In 1991, he bought a home in Wasilla and has lived there since. He enjoyed camping, fishing, driving around Alaska, garage sales, playing cribbage and cooking. He always wanted to help family and friends. He loved his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

His family wrote, "He was loving, caring, fun to be around and could always make you laugh. He always said that once you visited or lived in Alaska, you would always come back because there was no place like Alaska anywhere. He will always be loved and missed by anyone who knew him - until the day we meet again."

He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Meda and Monoe Carter; son, Joshua Schultz-Carter; nephew, Alexander Felthauser and good friends, LeAnna Brown and Desiree Peterson.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Priscilla Carter-Dipola and Michael Dipola of Anchorage; sons, Brian Carter and Dennie Carter Jr. of Oregon, and Jeremiah Schultz-Carter of Willow; sisters and brothers-in-law, Sue and Jim Zipfel, Shirley and David Gill and sister, Faye Roth, all of New York; his twin brother, Bennie Carter of Michigan; brothers, Monnie Carter of Tennessee, Ronnie Carter of West Virginia and Donnie Carter of Ohio; grandchildren, Ashley of Oregon, Alice, Thomas, Crystal, Russell, Melody, David, Michael, Donald III, Joshua and Skyler, all of Anchorage; nephews, Robert and Christopher of Anchorage; niece, Robin Felthauser of Kenai; great-nephew and niece, Russell Jr. and Sierra Lanahan of Kenai; great-nephew, Christopher Jr. of Anchorage; ex-wife and best friend, Melody and Brad McPherson and friends, the Browns family of Anchorage, the Burns family of Eagle River and the Escatrias family of Anchorage.

Many, many other friends also survive him.

Arrangements were made by Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.